


Trust

by CherryblossomBucks



Series: Angels & Deer [2]
Category: Being The Elite (Web Series), Professional Wrestling, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: In Which Kota Ibushi Channels His Inner Anime Prince To Practically Kabedon Matt, M/M, Supernatural Elements, and Matt Has No Idea What To Do With All His Feelings Suddenly, kenny n nick are only there in the background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 05:03:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryblossomBucks/pseuds/CherryblossomBucks
Summary: Kota Ibushi is better at taking care of his body than Kenny Omega is, but even the best need help sometimes.





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> kota/matt is a Weird dynamic my dudes
> 
> also i know this isnt a True Kabedon™ depicted in this fic but if you can hook me up with some art of a kota/matt kabedon i will be forever in your debt bc holy shit i didnt realize i wanted that as much as i do until i wrote this

Matt Jackson is not staring at Kota Ibushi. 

No, he’s not even looking at Kota Ibushi. He has his gaze trained firmly on the phone in his hand, scrolling through his twitter feed. He’ll glance up at Kenny and Nick occasionally, who are playing a game on the couch in the the room adjacent to this one, in perfect view from the bed that Matt is reclining on. He doesn’t know what game they’re playing, or if they’re playing against each other or as a team, but he does know that it’s not going great for Nick, because he has this adorable frown on his face that he always has when he gets frustrated.

Kota is in Matts periphery when he watches Kenny and Nick, but Matt Jackson is not staring at Kota Ibushi.

Matt Jackson is not staring at Kota Ibushi because looking at Kota Ibushi, or even thinking about Kota Ibushi for too long still tends to brings up a lot of ugly feelings in him. It’s been about two months since he and Nick came back to where they belong, stepping into the ring to celebrate Kenny winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title, and as much as Matt would like to pretend that everything is okay, that all four of them are perfectly happy and in love, he can’t. He can’t because he spent three years worrying that Kota Ibushi would waltz back into Kenny Omega’s life and rip him away from Matt and his brother. And after three years of having that in the back of his mind, being proven right hurt more than he had ever imagined anything other than losing Nick could.

Because of this, Matt Jackson cannot allow himself to stare at Kota Ibushi.

If he were staring at Kota Ibushi he might notice the way the muscles in his back shift as he tries to reach the base of his wings, or the way that the threads of gold in the otherwise white feathers – almost unnoticeable unless you look really closely – seem to make them, and by extension Kota himself, glow in the yellow light of the hotel room.

He might also notice when Kota speaks to him. As it is, it takes a moment for it to register that Kota has spoken at all, and it is with some reluctance that Matt turns his head to meet Kota’s eyes through the mirror that the he’s is standing in front of.

“Matt,” Kota repeats softly. He says it in the same way that it’s yelled from the crowd at the shows they do in Japan, with the o tacked on at the end. Matt understands that it has to do with how the language is structured but it has always made him feel strange in a way he couldn’t explain even if he tried. Right now, coming from the mouth of Kota Ibushi in such a careful way, it only serves to add another layer of discomfort to this interaction that Kota has apparently decided that they need to have.

“Help?” he continues when it’s clear that he has Matts attention, and now Matt is staring at him, because there’s no way he heard that right. Sure, Kota is a lot more casual about his wings then Kenny is, letting them be seen practically any time he’s shirtless except for in the ring, but he’s still very selective about who touches them and that he would ask Matt Jackson to help with their care when Kenny – or even Nick for that matter! – is right there would surely not happen. 

Matts eyes flick over to the two in question, who still seem to be engrossed in their game, unaware of the crisis that Matt has found himself in. It would probably be weird and even rude to decline such a direct request, and Kenny… Kenny said he needed them to get along.

“Please,” Kota prompts when Matt still doesn’t answer, and Matt flinches into action.

“Right!” he says, too loud, putting his phone down and getting off the bed, “Yeah, of course.”

He feels like his entire body is buzzing as he steps towards Kota, not unlike the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins after making a dive out the ring. When he’s made it the short distance there, Kota gives him the fancy kit that he uses for wing care with a smile that’s surely meant to be reassuring, but Matt can’t bring himself to look at his face anymore. He prays that his hands aren’t shaking when he puts them ever so carefully on the feathers that Kota is offering up for his caress. There’s so much damage he could cause them right now, wings are fragile things and Kota even has his eyes closed when Matt dares a glance, he wouldn’t notice anything until it was too late.

The violence of the thought leaves a sour taste in Matts mouth. He’s not above hurting others for selfish gain – there’s more than enough evidence of that publicly available – but hurting Kota in this situation would bring him nothing but the incredibly short lived satisfaction of revenge. It might not even bring him that anymore, if he’s honest with himself. 

He lets out a shaky breath, pushing the impulse out of his mind. Kota has been nothing less than polite to them after Dominion, and if they’re going to make this work then the least Matt can do is help him with his wing care routine when explicitly asked.

He focuses back at the task at hand, running his hands through the feathers lightly. They’re much softer than Kenny’s are, which has to be due to the greater amount of care put into them. There is no sign of tension in Kota’s back either as Matt gets to work; if anything he seems to enjoy it, giving off a pleased hum when Matt touches a particular spot near the junction, which makes him pause for a moment.

The idea of wings as sensitive much like any other body part isn’t one that Matt has given much thought before, but now that he does it makes sense, and the urge to investigate further hits him harder than the previous urge of violence. Watching closely for the subtle shifts in Kota’s face, he gives the spot another pass with more purpose – Kenny has always reacted favourably to the scratch of nails in the same area – and sure enough all the signs he was looking for are there.

Having that knowledge does something strange to his insides, building a sort of nervous excitement in contrast to the nauseous dread from earlier, and Matt opts to file it away for now as he finishes up, closing the kit and moving back to let Kota turn around.

Matt holds out the kit to Kota when he does but instead of taking it Kota steps in close to him again. Matt tugs the kit back towards him, brandishing it almost like a shield from the sudden closeness. The buzz of his nerves come back at full force as he feels Kota’s wings wrap loosely around him, every soft touch of feathers against his back suddenly feeling like a minor shock of electricity.

In the back of his head a voice is still screaming at him about the hurt that the man in front of him has caused both him and his brother, but it’s easy to drown out at the moment with the thought of how gorgeous he manages to look in even the dingy light of a cheap hotel – and anyway wasn’t Kota Ibushi one of the people he and Nick would joke about having a threesome with years and years ago? So who is Matt to deny himself this indulgence when there’s a hand on his hip and another under his chin and Kota is saying something but it’s in Japanese and Matt struggles with more than single words at the best of times.

He nods anyway, fingers clutching the kit tightly to his chest, because it’s still clear what Kota intends to do. Matt can feel his heart beating in his chest, and there is no question that he’s blushing visibly as Kota leans in. He’s actually kind of relieved that Nick and Kenny aren’t able to see them now, since Nick would never let him live that down.

He makes an embarrassing sound as Kota’s lips meet his, eyes slipping shut. It’s a simple touch of lips, innocent as can be, barely lasting more than a few seconds, but Matt is still left feeling disoriented when it’s over. 

“Thank you,” Kota says with a smile as he pulls away, taking the kit from Matts hold. He walks away to join Kenny and Nick on the couch, leaving Matt on his own to attempt to collect himself in this mess that’s become of his emotions.


End file.
